eNews Archive Issue 11 - 22 April 2021

It was an interesting finish to last term and was so good to see our staff and students pivot very quickly to the online learning environment. Many of our Boarders had to quickly leave to go home and I acknowledge the great lengths this took for families and friends to allow this to happen. Unfortunately, it did mean that we were unable to go ahead with the annual P and F Father/Daughter Breakfast. So much planning goes into this event by many of our P and F volunteers, and although it couldn’t occur, we thank you for your efforts leading up to this time. Many of our Year 11 students were also disappointed that their Dinner Dance couldn’t happen at the end of the term; however, I know they are happy that we were able to secure a date at the end of this term instead.

At the end of last term, Ms Curtis emailed all families about her sabbatical leave this term, and we wish her well for this time. We look forward to hearing about some of her findings in future eNews articles. Therefore, until the end of term, there are a few changes to the structure of the Educational Leadership Team, with myself as Acting Principal, Nicole Devlin as Acting Deputy Principal, Nikki Townsend as Acting Dean of Academics and Nicole Walker as Acting Dean of Students. Erin Buckingham has stepped into the role of Acting Head of Year 10, and we welcome (back) Dirk Wellham who will be taking some English and History classes.

The school will commemorate ANZAC Day on Friday morning, 23 April, marking the occasion with a special assembly. It is a time to reflect and remember all Australians who served and died in war, and on operational service past and present.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform the school community about our Day/Boarder Weekend coming up on the 1st of May (beginning the afternoon of the 30th of April). As part of our commitment to broadening the horizons of our students, each year we add an extra student free day onto a long weekend in Term 2 to allow our Day students the opportunity to visit our Boarding families and learn about life in rural and regional Australia. Many thanks must go to our Boarder families for opening up their homes to our Day students to visit, and for their ongoing hospitality and support of this event. More information about this weekend will come from our Head of Boarding.

Karen Gorrie

In an online environment, it is very important for parents to be aware of their child’s safety in this environment, and I urge all parents to have a conversation with their children about this. Please be aware of your daughter’s activities online, who and what they are engaging with, and communicate with them about these activities. Our student protection policies and procedures certainly extend to the online forum, and I have included information and contacts for this below.

Student Protection

St Margaret’s takes student protection seriously and so it is timely that I remind all families about the policies and processes that we have here.

St Margaret's Anglican Girls School is committed to:

• promoting and striving to provide a safe, supportive and ethical environment for the wellbeing and holistic development of students; and
• providing a safe secure nurturing environment in which all its students may grow and learn.

Student Protection Officers are persons designated as liaison people to whom students may refer if they are not feeling safe; or to whom they make complaints of harm, inappropriate behaviour or physical/sexual abuse. The St Margaret's Student Protection Officers are:

• Deputy Principal - Karen Gorrie
• Head of Boarding - Lesa Fowler
• Head of Primary School - Angela Drysdale
• Assistant Head of Primary School - Curriculum – Kate Frewin
• Assistant Head of Primary School – Wellbeing & Operations – Mary Surtees
• Dean of Students - Nikki Townsend
• Dean of Studies – Caitlin McCluskey
• Guidance Counsellor - Sharon Stone

All Student Protection documentation, including all policies and procedures can be viewed on our internet page at: https://www.stmargarets.qld.edu.au/discover-st-margaret-s/student-protection.

Our statement of commitment is as follows:

St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School supports the rights of children and young people and are committed to ensure the safety, welfare and wellbeing of students. St Margaret’s is therefore committed to responding to allegations of student harm resulting from the conduct or actions of any person including that of employees.

This commitment includes the provision of a safe and supportive living and learning environment for all students and requires all employees, volunteers and visitors to model and encourage behaviour that upholds the dignity and protection of students from harm.

In support of this commitment, St Margaret’s is dedicated to our Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy which includes having relevant policies, procedures and training in place to effectively address the safety and wellbeing of students in our care.

Nicole Devlin

This week, we will be holding our ANZAC Day ceremony. At this time we are very aware of those people who gave their lives so that we may live in peace and harmony. We give thanks for them. We continue to pray for those who lost loved ones due to war, who gave the ultimate sacrifice. We give thanks and pray for all those who serve Australia within the Australian Defence Force.

This week, 8 young people will be baptised. The patron Saint of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent is John the Baptist. John the Baptist baptised Jesus in the river Jordon. While the students will not be baptised in the river Jordon, at St Margaret’s we have a wooden font which has a beautiful clam shell which is used for our Baptisms. When the School Chapel was completed in 1958 many generous people donated various pieces of church furniture, including the clam shell, which was donated by Mrs Thorpe.

This term, we have quite a number of family services which families are invited to attend with their children. Please bring your phones as you will have to scan the QR code and hand sanitise prior to entering the Chapel.

Please find below the dates for the family services in Term 2. The services for the Senior School have a link which directs you to a letter about the service.

28 April, 6pm: Years 4-6 Family Service

6 May, 6pm: Year 11 Family Service (PDF 138KB)

11 May, 6pm: Year 12 Family Service (PDF 142.4KB)

18 May, 6pm: Year 8 Family Service (PDF 139.4KB)

8 June, 6pm: Year 9 Family Service (PDF 117.3KB)

Susan Crothers-Robertson

This Day/Boarder Weekend strengthens the relationships between Day and Boarder girls, as well as their families and provides the opportunity for Day girls to experience what life is like for Boarders at home. We encourage as many families as possible to take advantage of this long weekend.

Other exciting news is that we are getting a school dog. A photo of the puppy is on the POD and we have given the girls an opportunity to name the dog. The POD page will continue with updates and photos of the new puppy, and of course, her name. There are many benefits to having a school dog and all the girls are very exited for this new addition to St Margaret’s. An announcement of the puppy’s name will be published on the POD page by the end of the week. We all look forward to welcoming this new addition to the St Margaret’s community.

Lesa Fowler

Year 10 Update and Important Dates

This term is a busy term for the Year 10 cohort as they embark on selecting subjects for study in Years 11 and 12 and to discuss career options. All Year 10 students will participate in a 30 minutes interview with a Career Avenues Career Advisor on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Week 1 and Tuesday of Week 2, Term 2. Parents are encouraged to attend this interview if they are available. Students will need to take their laptops to the meeting as they will be conducted online through Microsoft Teams. Information about this process has been sent home via email to all Year 10 parents.

In addition to this, there are a number of opportunities to assist our students to think about possible career options. The Year 10 Broadening Horizons Conference will be held at school on Thursday 29 April from 8:20am to 3:20pm. Following this, the students will attend a Year 10 Careers Expo and Transition Day on Friday 21 May. Over the next few weeks, the Year 10 cohort will be completing the second phase of the Career Avenue Program with their Academic Advisor. This will involve a series of activities that will direct the students to reflect on subjects and careers that may interest them for their senior phase of learning. Our Year 11 Subject Evening will be held on Thursday 27 May from 6:00pm to 7:30pm in the LOFT. This event will provide an opportunity for the students and their parents to obtain more information about the QCE system and ask questions to myself, Ms Holley and Heads of Faculty. In the third phase of this process, each student will attend a SET Plan Interview with either myself, Ms Lesa Fowler - Head of Boarding, Ms Caitlin McCluskey - Dean of Studies, Ms Naomi Holley - Director of Careers and Portfolio Pathways or Ms Elizabeth Johnston - Careers Counsellor during Weeks 7 and 8. The final phase of this process will be online subject selection from the 14-17 June.

Year 11 Update

The Year 11 cohort should be very proud of the way they have begun their journey into Senior Schooling. During Weeks 2 and 3 of Term 2, I will be arranging to meet with each Year 11 girl to discuss their academic progress and to check in to discuss feedback from teachers as they look to complete Unit 1.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about your daughter or curriculum and assessment changes. For your information, I have included a link to the QCAA website which may assist with information regarding the QCE and ATAR systems.

Year 12 Update

This term, Year 12 students will have University visits either during Year Level Assemblies or lunch breaks. Year Level assemblies will provide students with an opportunity to go through the QTAC book where they will be provided with lots of resources. I also would encourage students to attend University Open Days to gain a better understanding of possible courses they are interested in and the university itself. By the end of the term, all students will receive a Road Map to External Assessment, which should be available by Week 7.

Nikki Townsend

Supervised Study Sessions (SSS) will operate out of the Senior Library on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Each session runs from 5:00pm to 7:30pm, with students having the option of purchasing dinner from the Boarding House for $10 (served at 6pm).

For students attending these sessions after an afternoon of sport, transport is available to and from Windsor Park. For those staying on after school to attend SSS, the Senior Library is open until 5:00pm prior to the commencement of the study sessions.

Dates for the 2021 Supervised Study Sessions are below (please note that bookings open the first day of each term):

Term 2: 27 April - 10 June (except for 28 April, 3 and 4 May due to the Day/Boarder Weekend)

Term 3: 19 July - 9 September (except for 11 August due to RNA holiday and 2 September due to the student free day)

Term 4: 11 October - 18 November (except for 12 October due to Speech Night)

To book, parents will need to log into Flexischools and select ‘Supervised Study Sessions’. Bookings are limited to 25 participants each night and when a session is full no further bookings can be made. Bookings are essential and should be made in advance to ensure a place is available. If dinner is required, payment must be paid at the time of booking and this option selected in Flexischools.

During these sessions, girls work with tutors to organise a plan of study for the term. This involves looking at their assessment calendar and planning how to ensure they are planned and ready for the next lesson and assessment. The main goal of SSS is assist girls to revise work covered so far and support and extend their understanding of learning from lessons so they are prepared for assessment. It is important that students arrive on time and check in with the tutors to get their name marked off and then sign out when they are collected by their parents.

Caitlin McCluskey

Support peers, teachers, and the learning environment – listen attentively

Engage in learning – be prepared for every lesson

Respect others through verbal and non-verbal communication

Versatility – adapt to change

Intentional demonstration of the St Margaret’s Way (PDF 62.6KB)

Collaborate positively with peers and teachers, in class and during extra-curricular activities

Empathise with others – be aware of how they are feeling

The service opportunities available at St Margaret’s encourage the girls to broaden their perspectives and this assists with building their resilience. Within these contexts new friendships are formed and confidence increases. I am looking forward to supporting the students throughout this term.

Nicole Walker

This true story of a concentration camp survivor offers almost a dichotomy between the horrific experiences he lived with and the positive messages he found within these dreadful experiences he shares in the book. Over the next couple of weeks, I would like to share some of these messages in relation to how our girls can be guided by his maxims.

“If you are lucky enough to have money and a nice house, you can afford to help those who don’t. This is what life is all about. To share your good fortune.” (p.11)

As a school community, we are generous towards others. Our school was built by the Sisters of the Society of Sacred Advent on a foundation of service. This ethos permeates our school as the students are aware of the importance of helping others. For the past three years we have supported Zephyr Education who help children affected by domestic violence get back to school.

Thanks to the girls and parents fundraising efforts throughout 2020 we were able to donate $10,000 to this organisation, which meant Zephyr was able to meet many requests for the start of the 2021 school year. Our donations were used to purchase the following items:

• $8,105 - stationery items that were assembled into 213 school packs for various year levels. This was 25.8% of the cost of the stationery packs we supplied in the back to school period.
• $1,915 - essential items, such as lunchboxes and swim gear.

I recently received a report from Zephyr, in this report the Treasurer shared the following story:

I had a chance meeting with a St Margaret’s student and her mother when I was at Kmart purchasing board shorts and lunchboxes with part of the school’s donation. I was purchasing the board shorts in various sizes so that we could top up shelters’ holding stock in readiness for Term 1 swim lessons.

Pictured is the second trolley load for the day. As I made my way to my car, a mother and daughter in the car beside mine, enquired about my unusually large purchase.

I responded that it was for a charity and when I said it was Zephyr Education the young girl was delighted because she knew all about Zephyr and mentioned that her family and classmates had contributed to the fundraising at St Margaret’s. They were delighted to see what had been purchased with some of the donated funds. It was also obvious that the young woman had a real empathy for the children supported by Zephyr.

This story is testament to the goal of our Service Learning Program, that is to help others and by doing so, build empathy within each child. A belief also held by Madonna King who spoke to parents this week about her book, “Ten-ager” but that is another story.

Upcoming Events:

Thursday 29 April - New Parents 2021 and Class Parent Representatives Morning Tea, 8:30am, ACF

Friday 7 May - Celebrate Mother’s Day at the Primary School Breakfast, 7:00am, ACF and Terraces

Angela Drysdale

Classics in the Cathedral – Date Claimer

There have been a number of changes to the Music Department’s performance calendar this year. Classics in the Cathedral will be held this year in Term 2 on Friday 4 June at 7:00pm. This is always a very special night of beautiful music within the spectacular setting of St John’s Cathedral. Further details of the event to come in the near future.

Old Girl Concert – Annabelle Traves (’14)

As many of you will remember, Annabelle Traves (Music Captain 2014) provided a wonderful recital in the Arts Centre Foyer last year, along with a special guest performance at Classics in the Cathedral. Since that performance, Annabelle has moved back to Munich, Germany to resume study and performance commitments. Performance opportunities have been scarce in Germany due to ongoing COVID restrictions; however, Annabelle is very excited to announce that she will be presenting an online concert sponsored by the QLD Government and Australian Commissioner in Europe. The concert will be presented from Munich and made available on 27 April by the Tate Memorial Trust. Once a ticket is purchased, the concert will be available for viewing for a further six months. To purchase tickets, please go to this link: https://www.taitmemorialtrust.org/product/ein-schoener-abend-with-annabelle-traves-april-27th/ For further information, Annabelle has provided this YouTube link where she discusses the upcoming performance: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tAwQpfv07DE&feature=youtu.be I know Annabelle would greatly appreciate your support of this special performance!

Encorah/Volare recommencing this week

Our Secondary School choirs, Encorah and Volare, will recommence rehearsals this week. Encorah is an ‘all-comers’ choir for girls in Years 7-12. All who enjoy singing are welcome to attend with no audition required. The choir will sing a wide range of repertoire from a variety of genres. The choir will rehearse from 3:30-4:30pm on a Thursday afternoon in the Arts Centre Foyer with the first rehearsal to commence in Week 1 of Term 2 (22 April).

Volare will also recommence this week. Volare is an auditioned choir for girls in Years 7 and 8 who enjoy singing more challenging repertoire. Volare will rehearse immediately after Encorah from 4:30-5:00pm in the Arts Centre Foyer. (Exultate for students in Years 9-12 will also continue rehearsals at this time from 4:30-5:30pm in the Sister Helen Orchestra Room).

Music Support Group

The next Music Support Group meeting will be on Tuesday 27 April at 5:00pm in the Primary Music Room (second floor of Chaseley). Parents from both the Primary and Secondary Schools are welcome to attend.

Brad King

Interhouse Cross Country

The Secondary School Interhouse Cross Country Carnival held on Tuesday 20 April was a brilliant afternoon of competition, participation and spirit. The level of running ability is just incredible and the enthusiasm, effort and spirit shown, typifies what it means to be a St Margaret’s girl. A huge thank you to the staff who assisted as course marshals and officials which made the carnival run smoothly and efficiently.

Congratulations to Lawson House on winning the overall trophy. Below is a list of place getters in each Year group:

12 Years

1st - Ava Thompson

2nd - Adel Kusztor

3rd - Georgina Fitzgerald

13 Years

1st - Priya Madders

2nd - Charli Spies

3rd - Coco Fidler

14 Years

1st - Milla Roberts

2nd - Matilda Lee

3rd - Millie Campbell

15 Years

1st - Brogan Tomich

2nd - Sarah Sorensen

3rd - Ha Phuong Nhu (Sarah) Le

16 Years

1st - Isabella Harte

2nd - Georgia Montague

3rd - Alice O’Toole

17 Years

1st - Chloe Fenwicke

2nd - Jahna Day

3rd - Paige Kruger

Autumn Fixtures

Fixtures recommence for all autumn sports on Friday 23 April against Brisbane State High School at our home venues. Please access individual POD pages for game schedules. Good luck to all teams for the second half of the season.

Secondary Schools State Lifesaving Championships

St Margaret’s will defend the title of ‘Champion Female School’ at the 2021 Secondary Schools State Lifesaving Championships on Sunday 28 May to be held at the Sunshine Coast Grammar Aquatic Centre. St Margaret's has an excellent track record in this competition, having been the female champions for the past 21 years. Training commences this Friday; for more details, please access the Lifesaving POD page.

Congratulations to…

Sophia Wightman (Year 12) who was selected as part of the Australian Rowing Under 19 team and will compete in the Australian Junior Women’s single scull at the World Cup Simulation Regatta in Sydney in June. This success was due to her results at the 2021 Australian Rowing Championships in Tasmania, receiving a Bronze medal in the Under 19 Women’s single scull and Gold in the Under 19 Women’s 8+.

Abigail Anderson (Year 8), Cosette Cooke (Year 8), Anna Lincoln (Year 9), Sophie Martin (Year 10), Isabella Martin (Year 11) and Sienna Timms (Year 10) who competed at the 2021 National Age Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast.

Special mention of Sophie Martin who was crowned National Under 15 100m Freestyle Champion and placed second in the 200m Individual Medley and Isabella Martin for placing third in the 100m Butterfly.

Ashley Blackman (Year 7), Matilda Lee (Year 9), Brogan Tomich (Year 9), Milla Roberts (Year 9), Sally Bambling (Year 10), Isabella Harte (Year 10), Olivia Rees-Smith (Year 10) and Tayden Tomich (Year 10) who represented Queensland competing at the Australian Track and Field Championships in April.

Special mention of Ashley Blackman for placing third in the U14 High Jump event; Milla Roberts for placing third in the U15 2000m Steeple Chase event and Isabella Harte for placing third in both the U17 1500m and the 2000m Steeple Chase events.

Lara Charles (Year 11) who competed in the Tennis Australia Kalynda Chase Open Age tournament, taking home the prize money by winning the Australian Money Tour (AMT) Open Women’s Singles event. Lara will play in the main singles and doubles draw at the World Junior Tennis Tour Gallipoli Youth Cup being held in Melbourne next week. Good luck Lara!

Tiffany-Rose Kimeklis (Year 10) who has been selected in the Under 16 Australian Futsal Team and will tour Taiwan next year.

Rowing

We invite your support of St Margaret's Rowing by attending Cocktails on the Creek. This highly anticipated event will be held on Saturday 15 May 2021, 7:00pm at the St Margaret's Boat Shed. Please click here (PDF 453.5KB) to view the invitation for full details.

Helen Lobegeiger

After School Studio

The Arts Department offer three afternoons every week for Secondary students to work after school in our studios. This term, instead of offering two dedicated art extension activities, two of our three afternoons will be allocated to class work catchup. All Art students in Years 7-10 are undertaking painting units, so we have made more open studio time available for the girls on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons until 5:00pm with Ms Smith and Ms Apel. Digital Art Club with Ms Martens will continue on Thursday afternoons until 5:00pm.

Items needed

In Semester 2, the Year 8 students will be creating sculptures from ‘found’ materials. We are hoping that you might be able to help us by donating unwanted textile offcuts or old sheets in all colours and patterns. We also require twine and/or balls of wool. Please contact the Arts Staffroom on 3862 0867 or email: lsmith@stmargarets.qld.edu.au if you can assist. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Lisa Smith

Father Daughter Breakfast Raffle

Unfortunately, this event was cancelled due to the COVID lockdown imposed on Brisbane at the end of Term 1. The P&F is incredibly grateful for the community’s understanding and support of this necessary action. The Raffle was able to take place as planned and they were delighted to announce the following winners (these were randomly generated by Raffletix just before 9am that morning): Huck Allen, Gary Hutchins, Sharni Moody, Simon Hughes and Tom Reddacliff.

Tom Reddacliff, President of the P&F, won a $500 voucher for the St Margaret's Uniform Shop. He has generously decided to donate this to a family adversely affected by the recent floods.

Past Student Awards – Saturday 24 April 2021

Tickets are now closed for the Past Student Awards Dinner this Saturday evening, 24 April.

Congratulations to the following winners for 2020 and 2021! We are excited to be celebrating with these four inspirational St Margaret's women and hearing about the impact they have made within their field and community:

Distinguished Past Student Award Winner 2020: Ms Kate Gibson (’96)

Distinguished Past Student Award Winner 2021: Prof Doune Macdonald (’76)

Young Past Student of Distinction Award Winner 2020: Dr Mikaela Seymour (’09)

Young Past Student of Distinction Award Winner 2021: Ms Ashley McCarthy-Griffiths (’12)

Professional Women’s Network Breakfast – Wednesday 12 May 2021

‘Getting comfortable in high heels and safety boots.’

We are delighted to be welcoming Nicole Hollows as our second guest speaker for 2021. Nicole is an experienced Senior Executive, with a career spanning over 20 years in the resources sector. Nicole will provide a summary of her career progression starting out as a young Chartered Accountant in a small firm, to getting uncomfortable and out of her comfort zone in the male dominated resources and water industries, initially as a Chief Financial Officer and later as Chief Executive Officer.

Date: Wednesday 12 May 2021

Time: 7:00am arrival – 8:45am finish

Enjoy Barista Coffee from a Wolff Coffee Roasters cart, before and after the event

Location: St Margaret's Anglican Girls School, 11 Petrie Street, Ascot

Tickets: $80 Adult, $40 Student (Tertiary, Years 10-12)

Tickets are available for purchase via Flexischools. Alternatively, please contact the Development and Community Office via email: developmentandcommunity@stmargarets.qld.edu.au or phone: 07 3862 0767.

We sincerely thank our generous corporate sponsors:

Major Sponsor: Pitcher Partners

Associate Sponsors: Programmed Property Services, Wolff Coffee Roasters

Supporting Partners: Downer Group, NAB, Clear Insurance, O’Reilly Shaw Lawyers and Red Oak Teamwear

P&F General Meeting

The next P&F Association General Meeting will be held on Monday 10 May 2021 from 6:30pm. This meeting will be held face to face in the Arts Centre Foyer.

If you have an agenda item or suggestions, we encourage you to send these via email to Tom Reddacliff, President, P&F Association: P&F@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.

Lindsay Khushal

Sydney University Engineering Aid

Each year since 1997, Engineering Aid Australia has conducted Indigenous Australian Engineering Schools in Sydney. Students are invited to apply to participate in an online IAES hosted by Sydney University from 6-8 July 2021. Applications close Wednesday 5 May. Application Form.

RMIT

What's Next Webinar Series starts in the first week of Term 2. The series is an opportunity for students and parents to hear about the course options and interest areas available at RMIT. You can view the full schedule and register via this link

Durack College Associate Program

Durack College is excited to announce its newest initiative: The Durack College Associate Program. Durack College Associate members live outside the College but can call Durack ‘home’ while at university and enjoy the benefits of College life.

Becoming a Durack College Associate also provides social connections within the Durack College community. It is great for students who are commuting to university, new to Brisbane or living in accommodation where meeting like-minded women is difficult. Find out more here.

University of Sydney: Webinar Wednesdays

Sessions will be posted to our undergraduate events page as they become available.

The Melbourne Curriculum

The curriculum structure at Melbourne University requires you to complete a three-year undergraduate degree. You can then enter the workforce or apply for a graduate program. To enter many professions (e.g. nursing, journalism, medicine, law, engineering etc.), you must complete a graduate program. Find out more about Melbourne’s graduate programs here. A Guaranteed Entry scheme to graduate programs is available for very high achieving Year 12 applicants.

Match My Skills

Need help finding a uni course that suits you? Match My Skills sees you work through the steps and create a list of QUT courses that may be of interest to you. It takes less than 10 minutes. Take the quiz.

Career Crush Quiz

The Torrens University Australia Career Crush is an online quiz which helps to identify some of your personal strengths, passions and aspirations and will match them with the careers and Torrens Uni courses you’re most compatible with. Find your Career Crush here.

University of the Sunshine Coast High Performance Student Athlete Program

If you are competing in a sport at national or international level, you can apply for this program once you get accepted into a course at USC. The program assists athletes to manage the demands of study, as well as sport. More information can be found on the website.

Liz Johnston